Food Schmooze: Spice Island Tea House

Food in Oakland is marginal at best. A lot of places use cheap produce and low end products for their food so that their businesses profit in a college town. A place that stays above the "food bell curve" in Oakland is Spice Island Tea House on Atwood. I love all types of food, but what Spice does to separate itself from the rest of the restaurants is that they serve traditional Pan-Asian dishes. The food trucks on Oakland do the same, but are limited since they are distributing their food out of a food truck.

We first enter, and the vibe was extremely somber. Going to a restaurant for late lunch is the biggest down time for a restaurant. This happens between 2 pm and 5 pm. So if you want a quiet environment, it will be you and the early bird crowd. The restaurant rush happens from 6 pm to 9 pm. That will be the best time to understand how well a restaurant is run. Spice is known for their Pad Thai (which is seen below).

The Boss (my friend who is described by his nickname) ordered Pad Thai, which is a safe choice at most Pan-Asian/Thai restaurants. Its virtually the General Tso of American Thai food. When I eat Pad Thai, I expect a solid amount of sesame oil, sesame/peanut sauce because that is the flavor in the dish. If you haven't tried a rice noodle naked, it tastes like a gummy rubber band. Pad Thai at Spice Island doesn't go hard on the sauce (or they do and they gave us the bottom part of the pot which would mean that this is poorly run business). The noodles also have to be moist, which this lacked. Another skepticism I have with restaurants in Pittsburgh is the quality of seafood. If Shrimp has a tire/penny/tile after taste, that means the food has either been frozen or sitting out too long. This dish has that. Keep in mind, we are in Pittsburgh. The nearest Ocean is 8 hours away. That strongly effects the produce. So for this dish, I recommend loading up on Sriracha.

I ordered the Singapore Kway Teow. This is a dish I haven't heard of, but have seen under a different name. "Chow Fun" served at chinese restaurants is virtually the same thing. This dish came out with a very bland flavor that reminded me of the odor of a men's locker room that was hosed down with axe. Semi foul, yet interesting? I did enjoy this dish though. I loaded this guy up with Sriracha, which went really well with the Lap Cheung (Chinese Sausage). Chinese Sausage has a sweet and sour taste which really compliments this well. If you crossed Chorizo and a Hot Dog, you'd have this dish. If you love the texture of a gummy noodle with some shrimp and meat, then I definitely recommend it.

Overall, Spice Island is probably the best Pan-Asian you are going to find in Oakland that is in walking distance from Pitt's campus. However, I enjoy Thai Food elsewhere. Specifically, Spice charges more than it should for it's dishes. A plate worth $9, has to have flavor, texture, and appearance. I am not asking for the Mona Lisa, but something of quality. For $9, I can enjoy the food trucks on Bigelow followed with a beer (Spice does have a great Imported Beer selection but, they charge $5 for each drink).

Food: 5.5/10
Decor: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Experience: 6/10
Value: 4/10

26.5/50

*When grading this, you have to realize the competition and total value of a meal. Every meal you have isn't a high score. Anything above a 25 is worth trying because you will most likely enjoy it.